Obama, Putin clash over Syria crisis at the U.N.

U.S. leader says Assad needs to go; Russian disagrees

President Barack Obama and Russian President Valdimir Putin toast at a leaders luncheon during the 70th annual United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York City.

President Barack Obama and Russian President Valdimir Putin toast at a leaders luncheon during the 70th annual United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York City.

Photo: Chip Somodevilla /Getty Images

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NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 28: President of Russia Vladimir Putin addresses the United Nations General Assembly on September 28, 2015 in New York City. World leaders gathered for the 70th session of the annual meeting. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) less

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 28: President of Russia Vladimir Putin addresses the United Nations General Assembly on September 28, 2015 in New York City. World leaders gathered for the 70th session of the annual ... more

Photo: John Moore, Staff / Getty Images

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*** BESTPIX *** NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 28: (AFP OUT) (L-R) U.S. President Barack Obama, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Russian President Vladimir Putin sit together during a luncheon hosted by Ki-moon during the 70th annual UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters September 28, 2015 in New York City. Obama held a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and with have a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the day. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) less

*** BESTPIX *** NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 28: (AFP OUT) (L-R) U.S. President Barack Obama, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Russian President Vladimir Putin sit together during a luncheon hosted ... more

Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Staff

Obama, Putin clash over Syria crisis at the U.N.

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UNITED NATIONS — U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply disagreed Monday over the chaos in Syria, with Obama urging a political transition to replace the Syrian president but Putin warning it would be a mistake to abandon the current government.

After dueling speeches at the United Nations General Assembly, Obama and Putin also met privately for 90 minutes — their first face-to-face encounter in nearly a year.

At the heart of their dispute over Syria is the fate of embattled Syrian leader Bashar Assad, a Russian ally. The U.S. has long called for Assad to leave power, while Russia has cast the Syrian government as the only viable option for confronting the Islamic State, a militant group that has taken advantage of the vacuum created by the civil war.

During his address to the U.N., Obama declared, “We must recognize that there cannot be, after so much bloodshed, so much carnage, a return to the prewar status quo.”

Putin, speaking shortly after the U.S. president, urged the world to stick with Assad.

“We believe it’s a huge mistake to refuse to cooperate with the Syrian authorities, with the government forces, those who are bravely fighting terror face to face,” Putin said during his first appearance at the U.N. gathering in a decade.

Obama and Putin’s disparate views of the grim situation in Syria left little indication of how the two countries might work together to end a conflict that has killed more than 250,000 people and resulted in a flood of refugees. Indeed, the leaders’ private meetings ended with vague statements about the need for a political resolution to the crisis, but no clear pathway for making that happen.

The crisis has taken on fresh urgency amid Russia’s recent military buildup in Syria. Putin has cast the increased presence of equipment and troops in Syria as part of the effort to defeat the Islamic State, and suggested Monday that Russia could launch airstrikes against the militants.

It’s unlikely Putin would join the U.S.-led coalition already launching strikes against the militants. He said Russia will only take such a step in accordance with international law, and criticized the U.S. and its allies for striking the Syrian territory without U.N. permission.

The Syria crisis largely overshadowed the summit’s other discussions on peacekeeping, climate change and global poverty.

Obama and Putin each framed his case for Syria’s future in the context of a broader approach to the world, launching veiled criticisms at each other.

The U.S. president condemned nations that believe “might makes right,” and sought instead to highlight the benefits of diplomacy. He touted his administration’s efforts to restore ties with Cuba after a half-century freeze and the completion of a nuclear accord with Iran, noting that Russia was a key partner in negotiating the Iran deal.

Putin, without naming the United States, accused Washington of trying to enforce its will on others and mulling a possible reform of the U.N., which he suggested stands in the way of the perceived U.S. domination.

“After the end of the Cold War, the single center of domination has emerged in the world,” Putin said. “Those who have found themselves on top of that pyramid were tempted to think that since they are so strong and singular, they know what to do better than others and it’s unnecessary to pay any attention to the U.N.”

Obama and Putin briefly shook hands during a leaders lunch that followed the morning of speeches. Seated at the same table, they clinked glasses during a toast, with Putin smiling and Obama grim-faced.